Howl's moving heart
by Kennygirlgreen
Summary: Modern AU with all the favorite characters in all the favorite ways. Rated M for future smut. Sophie's starlight hair turns out to be more than just a hair color, apart of a curse on her family. (Rating is subject to change for future chapters)
1. Chapter 1

**This is a modern twist on Howl's Moving Castle, but don't worry, I'll keep the magic XD. Though I plan on making Sophie a little more outgoing, don't get upset I'm just giving her the spunk I think we all know she needs.**

Sophie lay in a field of sunflowers, soaking up the summer sun wearing little more than a tank top and shorts; in fact she had lost her shoes miles ago from walking. She always preferred to go barefoot.

"HELP!" a small voice screamed in the distance, she sat up and glanced around. "HELP ME SOMEBODY! PLEASE!" Sophie was on her feet instantly holding her messenger bag.

"Hello!" she cried looking around. "Where are you?"

A small figure appeared on a hillside frantically waving their arms. "PLEASE! He needs help!" She ran as fast as she could, probably cutting her feet she didn't notice. She reached a small boy, over the hill she saw what she had feared most as a child, what her parents had told her to run if she ever saw. The Moving Castle. It was an odd construction of random parts in random places, making no sense inside though she was sure it was quite intricate inside.

She grabbed the child's hand. "We can't be here" she hissed trying to pull him.

"But he's hurt!" he cried yanking his hand away. "He may be dying!"

Her heart sank. "Okay, take me to him."

They ran to the door and the child ripped it open ushering her inside. It was dark and by the smell she assumed dingy. But he led her past that up the stairs to a room, by the amount of toys and trinkets she would have thought a child's room. It was filthy with no order, items of little use strewn across the floor boards threatening to cut her if she didn't step carefully.

She made her way to the man on the bed and froze, he was, he, was gorgeous. He was tall, and very lean she discovered since he wore no shirt. His skin was a perfect balance of cream and godliness and his hair was the color of shining gold. His eyes were half open, revealing two crystal blue eyes that took her breath away. His lips were full, pink, kissable….what? She touched his face and he groaned flinching, he was burning up.

"Ok kid, what's your name?"

"Markle"

"Markle…okay, go get me a bowl of cool water and a cloth."

The boy did as he was told; she set her bag aside and pushed her hair back turning the man's face until he looked at her through fevered eyes.

"Blink if you can hear me" she said gently. He closed his eyes and for a long second didn't open them, but when he did he blinked again more

"That's good, to me this looks like a bad fever and I'm going to treat it as such. Is there any reason I should treat it otherwise? One blink for yes, two for no."

Two blinks.

"Good, now get some rest and don't try to speak, you'll need your energy." Markel appeared then with the bowl of cool water and a rag. She damped the rag and gently wiped his face before laying it across his head. "Markel stay with him and come get me if something happens, I'm going to go and make him some soup, I saw the kitchen on the way in."

He nodded but before she could leave the man reached out and grabbed her wrist with a raspy breath. "Howl" he whispered.

"What?" she asked confused, leaning in to hear his words.

"My name…is, Howl."

"I'm Sophie."

She slipped from his gasp and trotted down the stairs. Upon her arrival she realized how filthy the 'castle' really was. As handsome as he was, and by all means the gods would swoon at him. He was a filthy person to live around. She pushed aside mountains of dirty dishes and cleaned what she could find and boiled soup over the low fire. No matter how much wood she added it just wouldn't burn, maybe that's due to the heaps of ashes she thought pulling away.

She carried two bowls up to the room handing one to Markel and she pulled Howl up so he was sitting against his head board, still only half in reality. "Eat up Markel" she insisted spooning the warm broth into Howl's mouth. "You too"

"So Markel, do you live here?"

"Yea! It's great! Master Howl is sooo nice and he's teaching me magic!" the boy grinned wildly.

"What of your parents? I'm sure your mother misses you dearly."

"They died when I was very young; Howl took me in so I wouldn't be an orphan."

She smiled sweetly at the boy and touched his hair. "That was very kind of him; I take it your happy here?"

He smiled and looked up at the girl named Sophie. "Sophie, are you a witch?"

"A witch? No why would you ask me that?" she asked laughing, feeding Howl another sip of soup. He seemed to be watching her intently.

"Well, your hair is silver. The only time I've seen hair like that is with someone very old, but even then your hair shines."

She smiled at the boy flashing her teeth. "It's the family curse!"

His eyes grew wide in horror but she smiled and handed him the dishes. "There's no curse on my family Markel, now set these downstairs and go to bed alright, you look very tired."

The boy nodded and scurried off.

"Tell me" Howl whispered staring at her, his eyes opened all the way now, but he was still sweating with perspiration.

She looked at him for a long moment. "Why do you want to know?"

"I like stories" he said smiling slightly.

"A long time ago, before there were automobiles, or moving castles." He smiled. "There was a man, his name was Reedson, he was a greedy man." She whispered softly wiping his face. "He valued objects by their weight in gold, people too, instead of the love they had to offer. One day he met a wizard who gave him a spell. With this spell he stole a star from the sky, people don't know this but stars are people as well, they have bodies and emotions, but Reedson didn't care. He made this star his wife and forced her to have his children. The Moon Goddess was horrified a mortal man had taken her daughter, a mortal man take one of her beloved daughters. As punishment she made it so the man could never have a son, the one thing he craved but could not but. Instead he was gifted with one daughter of silver hair. The Goddess took her daughter back during childbirth so the man could have no more children by her and returned her to the sky with her lover." She wiped the sweat from his neck.

"That's awful." He whispered but she just smiled and set the bowl of water on the floor.

"It's just a story, sleep well tonight. I'm sure you will feel much better in the morning."

The man nodded and before he could say anything coherent he had fallen asleep. When she returned downstairs Sophie took one look around and decided she couldn't leave Markel with a sick guardian, nor could she leave him in this mess. So, she started to clean.


	2. Chapter 2

She spent the next three days cleaning the downstairs, every dish, counter, floor board, ceiling rafter and yes, fire pit too. She even used the magic door exiting the castle to go into town and by sandpaper to smooth out the splinters and snags. The room looked brand new, that's when he came down. Howl floated down the stairs in a dark pair of jeans and no shirt, his golden locks flowed around him like feathers. Sophie however hand her back to him while she scrubbed at the dirt lining the windows.

She had since changed from their first meeting, She still wore pale wash out shirts but this time she had own a loose faded blue Hanes V-neck, her silver hair was pushed back with a bandanna.

"Sophie?" the voice tore her from her thoughts; she turned to face the voice.

"Howl" she said trying not to stare, he was godly when he was ill, but now….she could hardly contain herself. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better thank you" he glanced around questionably. "How can I ever thank you for your kindness?" His voice seemed sincere but something about his eyes made Sophie wary.

"For starters, tell me you won't eat my heart for some stupid reason."

"Eat your heart?" His nose crinkled in disgust. "My god is that what they're saying about me these days? That's absolutely vile!" He pinched his nose and sighed. "No, my dear Sophie I have no intention on eating anyone's 'heart' for that matter."

"Well good." She said wiping her hands on her shirt. "I guess, I'll be off" she said looking around for her shoes.

"Oh no you don't" Howl swept her belongings into his arms and dashed across the room. "I still have to make up the time you spent here. I will give you, three wishes." He said smiling triumphantly.

"Are you a genie now?" she asked laughing to herself

"I'm a wizard, now what would you like." He tilted his head up in a rather proud stance.

"A trade" she said seriously after a moment.

"A trade?" the wizard was truly interested now, usually a mortal would ramble off something about wealth, beauty and love.

"Three wishes for three promises that you will follow without question." She crossed her arms. "It won't be anything unpleasant I assure you."

"Very well, let's hear them." He leaned against the fire place, his eyes and Calcifer's watching her slowly.

"Does that mean you're agreeing to them? I won't speak them unless you agree."

"Well aren't you the smart one." Calcifer said grinning; usually Howel was the one snaking his way through agreements.

"Fine, what are they."

"1, you will never let your house get any filthier than it is at this exact moment." She said watching him carefully.

He squinted his eyes groaning. "Yes fine, very well I suppose I could hire a cleaning lady."

"2, you Howel will start cooking meals for Markel under regular bases, that's three nutritious meals a day."

He furrowed his eyes in confusion but nodded still crossing his arms.

"And finally, I want your word that in the future if I should call upon you in need of your help you will come to me without question and help me with all the extent of your ability and knowledge."

His eyes ran wild, she was asking for an unconditional promise from a wizard that could take place at any time. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a rabbit's foot and rubbed it between his palms and pushed his hands against his lips blowing air. A white firelight glow shone through his fingertips and died down like a breathing fire and handed it to her.

"When you decide upon that third favor, throw this into a fire and wait. I will know you've done it, and I will come as you've requested."

Sophie inspected the object for a moment before putting it into her bag securely.

"May I ask you something?" Howel asked coming behind her. "The first two requests, why?"

"Think of Markel, you are his life support, his only family he has to rely on everything from you. The least you could do is keep a clean living space and provide regular meals." She turned to face him with gentle eyes. "It's a shame I had to make a wish for you to do those things." She grabbed her bag and slid it over her shoulder.

"You surprise me Sophie Hatter."

She smiled slightly and stepped around him, pausing at the door on the green dial. "I told Markel that he could come over for dinner tonight, you're welcome to join him. This being the one exception to promise number 2." Without another word she was out of the castle and into the wastes. She stood outside in the vast fields of the Wastes for a moment and smiled, Howl was certainly a character.

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Please remember to review. XD


	3. Chapter 3

When Sophie arrived home she immediately peeled off her dirty cloths and hopped into the shower, emerging later to dress in a pair of black cargo shorts and a baby blue cotton shirt that was extra soft. Her silvery hair was once again pushed back behind a faded bandana, she looked like some kind of pixie trying to rebel against her fairy parents, it was adorable in some ways. Just plain weird in others, she rampaged through her small apartment cleaning furiously to make her apartment presentable until it was time to start dinner. Spaghetti if you're wondering.

At exactly 10 till 6 a soft knock sounded from her door.

"IT'S OPEN!" Sophie yelled pouring the pasta into a colander. (Some people may say strainer, but it's actually called a colander)

Turning she smiled seeing Markel run across the room and give her a hug.

"Sophie! This is where you live?" he asked looking around with a tone of wonder.

"It's quite small" Howel noted closing the door behind him.

"Well not everyone can afford a magical moving castle." She said pulling a noodle free from the bot and slurping it down her throat. "But at least I can keep it clean."

He squinted his eyes at her, not in annoyance or irritation, just to let her know she was being pesky.

"Sophie, will you tell me that story now? The one about your hair." Markel said sitting at a bar stool.

"Oh Markel, it's not very good honestly. I told Howel, ask him."

Howl sat down next to Markel and smiled wickedly. "She told me because she likes me better than you."

"HOWEL!" Sophie snapped/yelled whipping around. "That is not okay. Markel, he's just kidding I like you more."

Howl glared at her but said nothing else.

"Will you tell me then?" Markel said turning to Howel, utterly unaffected by the exchange.

"Well Markel, A long time ago, before there were automobiles, or moving castles." He smiled. "There was a man, his name was Reedson, and he was a greedy man. He valued objects by their weight in gold, people too, instead of the love they had to offer. One day he met a wizard who gave him a spell. With this spell he stole a star from the sky, people don't know this but stars are people as well, they have bodies and emotions. Spirits of their own, but Reedson didn't care. He made this star his wife and forced her to have his children. The Moon Goddess was horrified a mortal man had taken her daughter, a mortal man take one of her beloved daughters. As punishment she made it so the man could never have a son, the one thing he craved but could not buy. Instead he was gifted with one daughter of silver hair. The Goddess took her daughter back during childbirth so the man could have no more children by her and returned her to the sky with her lover."

"But, that doesn't explain why Sophie's hair is silver." Markel pointed out turning to Sophie.

"It's just a silly superstition Markel, oh what was it my mother said." She said mixing the sauce into the pasta thoughtfully. "When a woman gives birth she gives a part of herself onto that child, in this case the mother gave part of her starlight. Starlight isn't something that diminishes over time so it moves from one child to the next. My mother believed this happens because this piece of starlight yearns to be in the sky again. But only a wizard can do that, in this case only the wizard who cast the spell in the first place could undo it."

Markel looked to Howel who only shrugged. "The spells almost a hundred years old Markel, that much I can tell, the wizard could very well still be alive but I have no idea how to go about finding him."

"I know!" Markel cried sitting up. "Do you still have the spell the paper was written on?"

"No, the only thing I have is a family album; there are a handful of pictures Reedson and his wife."

"What was her name?" Howel asked in an oddly human emotion.

"Silvia, I think." She said serving the plates of noodles.

They sat in silence and ate quietly before Howel piped up again. "So what's the curse? Is it just silver hair or will something happen?"

"It's just a superstition..." she began.

"No" he cut her off. "I don't believe in superstition."

"Well, it's kind of vague. I know I can only have daughters." She said thinking. "I have certain, knowledge."

Howel raised his eyes questionably.

"I can name every star and constellation in the sky. Oh, and whatever star fire is." She said slurping noodles.

"Starfire…" Howel seemed perplexed and began to tap his fingers together like a villain. "That word is familiar."

"I know!" Markel almost shouted drinking his sweet tea. "It was in that book, grey, leather bound and reaaaaallllly thick."

"Go on" Howel said seeming interested.

"Well it was on the shelf, it fell over but you said I don't get to read it yet because I'm still not there in my training. I think Sophie rearranged the books though." He said glancing at her.

She nodded rinsing her plate. "Yea, it was wrapped in leather strips and had this weird gold tassel right?" Markel nodded. "Gosh, I don't remember where I set that. I'm sure you'll find it though it couldn't have wondered too far."

"That settles it, tomorrow Sophie will come over and find the book and we will research this 'starfire'" Howel said standing from his chair. "Sophie darling, dinner was lovely."

"Thank you" Markel said hugging her and she smiled.

"How am I supposed to get there?" Sophie asked before they left. Howel paused and ran to her hallway closet and pulled chalk out of thin air and began to write strange symbols.

"Now this door is a portal!" Howel said sounding all too pleased with himself.

"So where are all the towels and bed sheets I had in there now?" Sophie asked crossing her arms.

Howel avoided the question and flew across the room taking Markel's arm before running back into the hallway closet/portal. "WE MUST BE GOING NOW IT'S RATHER LATE!" and they were gone.

She groaned rinsing dishes, now she had to replace all her towels.


End file.
